Winch for motor-vehicles.



l N. A. RICHARDS.

WINCH FOR MOTOR VEHGLES.

APPLICATION FILED IE. 11, 1913.

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` y Nonwooii A. RICHARDS, or MOBILE, ALABAMA.

WINCH FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914.

l Application illed February 11, 1913. Serial No. 747,661.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Nonwoon A. RICH Aims, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mobilez county of Mobile, State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Winches for Motor- Vehicles, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device and a suflicientfnumber of the parts of a motor vehicle to illustrate its use; Fig. a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 a vertical transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fi 1; and Fig. 4 a plan view of a slightly modified arrangement of the gearing.

The object of this invention is to provide a motor vehicle with a power winch by wliichthe power developed bythe engine of the vehicle or the startingfmotor may' be used for the purpose of haulingnthe car'out of mud holes `or ruts, up steep grades and out of ditches where ordinary tractive ower of the w ieelswould not be suilieient or that urpose. 'I

In the )drawing a designates the usual engine shaft carrying the flywheel b o the usual transmission shaft adapted to e coupled to the engine shaft through the medium of the clutch member d in the usual manner e the usual transmission gear box pand )i the usual propeller shaft.

Aflixed to the transmission shaft c is a gear g and meshing with the same is another gear l, this latter ear being slidably mounted on a shaft z', tie connection being such that while the gear may slide onthe shaft it shall rotate with it. This gear h may be shifted into and out of mesh with thegear g by the usual fork j or by other suitable means. The shaft 2 lies parallel with the propeller shaft and is journaled in asuitable bracket 7c bolted to the vinner face of the adjacent frame bar Z of the vehicle. Affxed to the shaft 'i is a wormV m which meshes with a worm gear n affixed to the shaftpof a drum o, the drum--shaft-being journaled in suitable han ers p' bolted to the under sides of the frame ars ofthe vehicle, the drum shaft extending entirely across the vehicle and .lylinj'g at right angles to the transmission' s @A lwire or otherrope" 'is ywound upon the drum and its free en is adapted to be carried forward and attached to a suitable anchor, such as a stake driven in the ground or a convenient tree or post. To guide this wire or rope and hold it away from the fly wheel I provide a pulley g which -is suspended at a proper point by means of a pair of bracket arms r bolted rigidly to the frame bars of the vehicle, the pulley being free to slide on a rod g so as to wind on the drum properly. It is obvious that this rope p may be earriediearward and attached to an anchor at the rear of the machine if the machine is to be pulled backwardly; in this case a du licate of the guide pulley may be rovi ed if the construction of t e vehic e is such as torequire another pulley.

In Fig. 4 I show means whereby the power for driving the drum is taken off from one of the ears in the transmission box w. To accomplisli this I employ a short countershaft s and mount the slidinggear h on one en'd of itin such position as to be readily shifted into and out of mesh with one of the driving gears of the transmission. The screw shaft 1I, is geared to the shaft a by means of a pair o gears t and u.

It will be observed that wheny the engine vis started either under its own power or under the power of a starting motor and 'the clutch of the transmission shaft is closed, p the power may be taken off from the transmission shaft to the drum and by means of 'the worin gear it will be observed lthat the speed is lgreatly reduced and that the power is' great y increased. With this ty e of gearing' it will also be observed t at a ratchet and pawl mechanism is unnecessary toprevent backward rotation of the drum when the engine isstopped or the clutch is out, the pito of the worm being such as to -prevent the pull on the drum from causing 4the worm gear to rotate the worm. i It will be observed that in my invention the power for operating the drum is taken oii' from the transmission shaft, that is, at a point between the engine shaft and the propeller shaft. By reason of this arrangement the chauffeur can control the operation of the drum from his Seat since the drum in ay be started or stopped through the medium of the usual clutch d, the gears g and h first having been brought into mesh `in any suitable manner. This arrangement also permits the winch to be operated either iooV with or'without aid of thetractive power Aof the' vehiclesince the drum maybe r0- tated whether lor not the transmission gearing be in action. It will be observed lalso that with my combination of straight gears andv worm gears, I may derive lthe :powertodrive the drum from any part of the vehicle` driving rmscnanism (for instance the ilywheel), although I have illustrated but two ways of driving the drum.' It will be 'observedalso that an advantage of my apparatus lies in its accessibility, the gearing being just under the front'loor board and being therefore easily reached for oiling, tightening, examination, etc. It will be observed also that it is susceptible of being attached to the frame of the vehicle in a very strong and durable manner. Further, the gearing is adapted to be so located as to be protected by the usual pan, this pan protecting it against mud, dirt, etc. Again, it will be seen that the drum is not in mesh with its source of power except when needed and that consequentlythereis no wear or tear andv rattlingof parts may be readily avoided. I' Furthermore my mechanism-will work equally well from the rear-,as fromthe front of thevehicle and the driver has absolute control over-the vehicle from his seat whether going backward or forward. A further `advantage is that thegelaring and drum and supporting parts may "bestandardized, thereby .enabling the arts ytobemanufactured cheaply and r'eadi yfreplaced. It will be seen also that my'apparatus is capable of being used with fthe 'engine starter, so that the yvehicle may be hauled lsignature in -out of a hole even when the engine is stalled.

' Havingthus described my inventiomwhat' I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

`1. The combination with a motor-vehicle embodying a driving mechanism comprising an engine shaft and a transmission sha-fa' of a power-winch comprising a winding drum, a self-locking speed-reduction gearing for rotating` said drum, and a disconnectible driving-connection between said s eed-reduction gearing and one of said `s afts, whereby said speed-reduction gearing may be disconnected from the driving mechanism and will hold the drum against rotation while so disconnected.

2. The combination with a motor-vehicle embodying a driving mechanism comprising an engine-shaft, a transmission shaft, a disconnectible driving-connection between said shafts, a propelling shaft and a disconnectible driving-connection between the transmission and propelling shafts, of a powerwinch mechanism comprising a windingdruxn vjournaled in the frame of the vehicle, a self-locking speedreduction gearing adapted to rotate said winding-drum and a disconnectible driving-connection between the. transmission shaft and said speed-reduction-gearing, whereby the propelling shaft and power-winch may be driven simultane- .ously or. independently, and whereby the winding-'drum will belocked against rotation .whenrvdisconnected from the driving mechanism. .7

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my the presence of two witnesses. NORWOOD A. RICHARDS. Witnesses: J. B. HAMILTON,

J. C. MARTIN.

Oopiol of this patent may be obtained for ave cents sacra-by addreutng the Oummimoner of ratentl, Washington, D. 0. 

